[3][4] Nat Hentoff writes about novelty of the release in its liner notes: "The incorporation of Bob Brookmeyer into the Jimmy Giuffre 3 makes this unit even more intriguing, both in its present capacity to work tri-linear subtle sorcery on the listener and in its indications for the future to other jazz players.

There is, for example, no bass, drums and piano in this ensemble — to the initial shock of a number of musicians who had become accustomed to pianoless and even drumless combos but began to mumble, Saroyan-fashion, "There's no foundation all along the line" when informed of the new instrumentation of the Jimmy Giuffre 3.

Giuffre recorded the eight songs on "Trav'lin' Light" in December of 1957 in a trio with Jim Hall on guitar and bassist Jim Atlas on December 2, 1957, in New York City.

The arrangements recorded in the initial session were adapted for the later group that replaced the acoustic bass with the valve trombone.

This earlier session was eventually released on the Gambit Records CD release "Jimmy Giuffre/Jim Hall Trio: Complete Studio Recordings" (Gambit 6900, 2008).